


The Black Paladins

by paranoid_parallax



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fix-It, Gen, Kuron (Voltron) Deserves Better, Kuron (Voltron) Lives, Kuron (Voltron)-centric, Past Abuse, Past Torture, Past Violence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Shiro (Voltron)-centric, Suicidal Thoughts, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21895522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paranoid_parallax/pseuds/paranoid_parallax
Summary: Season 6 fix-it AU where Kuron and Shiro both survive. Kuron gradually bonds with Shiro and the rest of the team, while coming to terms with his origins as a clone.
Relationships: Allura & Hunk & Keith & Kuron & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Kuron & Voltron Paladins
Kudos: 18





	The Black Paladins

After the battle with Lotor, Keith had told the others about his encounter with Shiro in the astral plane, and the discovery that this “Shiro” was a fake.

“Is he alive?” Allura asked.

“No, I told you, Shiro’s dead!” Keith snapped. “I can’t believe none of you noticed. If I had been here, I— I wouldn’t have let this happen, I—”

“What about the clone?” she asked, carefully not engaging with his anger.

“Who cares?”

“What do you mean, who cares?” Lance looked upset.

“It’s just a clone,” Keith said harshly.

“But he’s still our friend, right?”

“What are you talking about? That’s not the real Shiro!” Tears pricked at his eyes. He should have been there. He should have seen it; he knew Shiro better than any of them; how hadn’t he suspected anything?

“Maybe not,” Lance said quietly. “But he’s still a person. We can’t just let him die.”

“It’s a clone. There were dozens of them in the facility.”

“He’s been leading us for months! Look, this guy may not really be Shiro, but he’s one of us by now.”

“Haggar’s convincing. This was just another one of her tricks.”

“No. I can’t believe that,” Lance said fiercely. “He’s so… human. And I _can_ see the differences in retrospect, but he is a lot like Shiro, too.” He glanced back at Pidge and Hunk. “Guys, back me up here.”

Hunk looked hesitant for a few seconds, but then nodded. “I mean… the Voltron Show, the coalition, that was all him, right?”

“The Black Lion did let him fly her,” Pidge added after a moment. “I guess she wouldn’t do that for just anyone.”

“He even played Monsters and Mana with us. He seemed like he really… had _fun_.”

“Yes, he told me he felt much better afterward,” Coran said. “Seemed he needed to clear his head a bit.”

“Exactly!” Lance said. “If he was just a mindless puppet for Haggar, he wouldn’t have done any of that. He wouldn’t have come to me and told me he wasn’t feeling like himself.”

The others looked at him. “Wait, when did that happen?” Pidge asked.

“After that time we were all in the astral plane. While we were waiting for Allura and Lotor on Oriande— he talked to me. He seemed… scared.”

“Well, whatever’s going on with him, we can’t let him die,” Hunk said. “Even if he does turn out to be just one of Haggar’s weapons, we can’t be sure of that right now. We don’t want to make a mistake like that.”

_It’s not him. Why don’t they understand? Shiro is_ dead _, and this thing tried to kill me! How am I the only one upset about this?_ Keith scowled. “Fine.”

——————————

Keith stared at the princess in wonder. “You— you can do that? You can bring him back to life?”

Allura nodded. “I think so. I’ll have to create a new body for him, though.”

“Can you do that?”

“I can try.”

“Wait.” Something occurred to him. “Will it be just like the old one?”

“Well, that’s what I’ll aim for.”

“No. Not completely.”

She looked confused.

“Shiro… he has— had— has?— a disease. Before Kerberos, he told me he only had a few years left before it started to really catch up with him, and I don’t know how long he had to live or anything exactly because he never gave me details— didn’t want me to worry— but I know he didn’t have much time left to fly and I know it wasn’t good and—” He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “C-can you get rid of that somehow? Please?”

Determination shone in her eyes. “I will.”

“Are you sure?”

“I learned a lot on Oriande, Keith. I promise I will return Shiro to us. And I will heal him— that’s honestly the easier part.”

Stepping forward, Allura pressed her hands to the Black Lion, eyes closed in concentration. The rest of the team watched in awe as quintessence began to flow from the lion into the princess. Finally, radiating a purple light, motes of that quintessence rising around her, she turned back to them with glowing eyes.

She appeared calm, serene as a body began materializing before her outstretched hands. As the features became clearer, it was Shiro, it was _Shiro_ , and Keith barely felt the tears running down his cheeks. _He’s coming back to us, finally, after all that time trapped alone in the astral plane…_

After another minute or so, fully-formed Shiro and no-longer-glowing Allura both nearly slumped to the ground before Keith and Lance caught them.

Gently, Keith helped Shiro lie down, while Lance pulled Allura back to her feet, and the team gathered around their leader apprehensively. It seemed a long moment before Shiro slowly blinked open his eyes.

His hair was entirely white now, but apart from that, he looked much the same as ever— and if Allura had succeeded, he would be healthy for the first time in years.

He coughed faintly, straining to sit up. “K-keith?”

“Shiro!” Keith pulled him into a tight hug.

A few moments later, Shiro had managed to sit up as the others tearfully welcomed him back. He seemed disoriented only briefly before understanding what had happened.

Though still clearly tired for the moment, he was alive and well. Smiling.

“It’s good to be back.”

——————————

Shiro woke up alone.

At first, he continued to lie there with his eyes closed, hoping to steal a few more minutes of rest. Then he remembered the fight, and scrambled to his feet in a panic— or rather, tried to, before noticing that his arm was gone.

It took him a moment to realize that he was in a cell.

Panic shot through him. _No._ He couldn’t go back— back to the arena, back to Haggar— why had they taken his arm again? What were they going to do to him this time?

He wasn’t sure how long it took him to calm down, to convince his brain that the flashbacks were just that and not happening _again right now_ , but eventually he managed— though he was still trembling with fear, and felt vaguely as though a guard would come around the corner any minute to collect him.

It wasn’t the Galra holding him prisoner this time, it was his own friends. He supposed that was deserved, after everything he had done. The memory of being forced to hurt Keith, almost forced to kill him, tugged painfully at his heart.

What were they going to do with him now? Would they kill him?

Part of Shiro wished they would. This would be the last time the Galra forced him to kill for them, the last time he was used as a weapon or an experiment or entertainment or whatever else against his will. But he doubted the others would be willing to kill him. Besides, if they _had_ somehow intended to, why even treat his injuries from the fight? No, he would be stuck here to face what he had done and face the possibility of it happening again.

If he still had his arm, he could do it himself… but no, he couldn’t let one of the others find him like that. Anyway, he didn’t have it, and there was nothing else to use, so that line of thinking was pointless.

There was nothing to do but wait.


End file.
